From the Nine Transformations Chapter of "The Art of War" by Sun Tzu. This sentence means that the generals fighting on the ground do not need to listen to the guidance and orders of the commanders who are far away in the capital talking about war on paper.

The original sentence is "The road is blocked, the city is blocked, the land is blocked, and the emperor's orders are blocked."

Vernacular translation: Generals can fight on an emergency basis when they are away on an expedition. There is no need to ask for a fight in advance or wait for the monarch's order before fighting.

The general is the executor of the monarch’s mission. When fighting with troops outside, the situation on the battlefield is complex and changeable. Therefore, it is impossible for the monarch to obtain timely and effective information about the battlefield situation. Therefore, Sun Wu advocated that generals should lead troops in battle outside. According to the detailed analysis of the war situation, some orders from the monarch that do not meet the tactical requirements may not be obeyed.

Extended information:

Original text

Sun Tzu said: All methods of military use will be ordered by the king. Unite the army and gather the people. To make an alliance, there will be no remaining ground. If you encircle the territory, you will plot, and if you die, you will fight. You can't help it. If you have something to do, you can't attack it. If you have something, you can't attack it. If you have something, you can't attack it. If you have territory, don't fight for it. If you have something to do, don't accept your order.

Therefore, those who know the benefits of the Nine Changes know how to use the army; those who do not know the benefits of the Nine Changes will not be able to benefit from the terrain even though they know the terrain; Five benefits cannot be used by others.

Make friends with neighbors. Don't stay in areas where survival is difficult, but pass through quickly.

Be good at planning in areas where there are dangers and easy to be surrounded. If you accidentally end up in a dead end, you must fight resolutely. Don't take some roads, don't attack some enemy troops, don't occupy some cities, don't fight for some areas, and you don't have to accept certain orders from the monarch.